There are many situations where it is desirable to forward a decal, by mail, to a recipient. The decal may be removed from the mailing piece and applied to any appropriate item, such as a membership card, a vehicle window, or a license plate. When such mailers are being printed (such as with the outgoing address) for mailing, they typically are stacked in a printer tray. In conventional constructions of the carriers which ultimately form the mailers the bulge provided in the area of the decal is greater than desirable typically because the decal laminate is thick. In conventional constructions the thickness at the laminate is typically between about 0.011 inches and 0.0135 inches. This limits the number of sheets that can be stacked in the tray for processing, and in extreme situations may adversely affect feeding of the sheets.
According to the present invention a decal carrier in general, and a mailer type business form intermediate and mailer produced from the intermediate, are provided which facilitate the stacking of more sheets in a printer tray by reducing the thickness of the decal laminate compared to the prior art. The thickness at the decal laminate according to the invention is a maximum of 0.010 inches, and typically is only about 0.008 inches. This not only allows more sheets to be stacked in the printing tray and minimizes the possibility of problems in feeding the sheets to a printer, it makes the ultimate mailing piece thinner and also provides for enhanced utility in handling the decal by the recipient.
The advantageous results are achieved according to the present invention primarily by providing a release coating (such as a silicone coating) directly on a patch which covers a cut out in the carrier for the decal. This allows the decal to be applied directly to the patch, without an intermediate release liner as is common in the prior art. Also the release coating may be provided over substantially the entire face of the patch, with a special adhesive used to attach the patch to the carrier.
Alternatively the advantageous results according to the invention may be obtained by securing the bottom face of the patch to the top face of the intermediate/carrier. This means that when the carrier/intermediate is provided in a stack (such as in a printer), the decal and patch flex into the cutout so that the effective thickness of the patch and decal mounted thereon is substantially the same as the combined thickness of the carrier/intermediate, first adhesive, and patch adjacent the cutout.
According to one aspect of the present invention a decal carrier, in general, is provided. The carrier has the following components: A sheet of paper having first and second faces. A cutout formed in the sheet of paper. A patch having first and second faces, a central area approximately the size of the cutout, and a peripheral area surrounding the central area. A release coating provided on the first face of at least a significant part (at least the size and shape of the decal adhesive which will be placed over it) of the central area of the patch. A first pressure sensitive adhesive disposed between the peripheral area of the patch and one face of the sheet of paper and holding the patch to the sheet of paper. A decal having first and second faces. Indicia associated with the decal. And, a second, permanent, pressure sensitive adhesive associated with the decal second face, the second adhesive engaging the release coating on the patch, and removable from the patch with the decal. The first pressure sensitive adhesive may be disposed between the peripheral area of the patch first face and the second face of the sheet of paper, in which case the patch and decal mounted thereon have a thickness which is a maximum of 0.010 inches (typically about 0.008 inches), or the first adhesive is disposed between the patch second face and the first face of the sheet of paper, allowing the flexing of the decal and patch into the cutout, as described above.
The indicia may be motor vehicle license plate indicia and the indicia may be associated with the decal first face, the decal comprising a license plate decal. However instead the decal may have a reflective material first face, or the indicia may be provided on the second face (such as where the decal is to be applied the inside of a vehicle window), underneath the second adhesive.
In one construction, especially when the first adhesive is between the patch first face and paper sheet second face, the release coating may be a spot coating on the central area of the patch so that the peripheral area of the first face of the patch is substantially devoid of release coating. The first adhesive preferably is permanent adhesive, permanently connecting the patch peripheral area to the paper sheet; it may be repositional adhesive only if the patch doesn't detach and cause printer problems. The release coating may be any suitable release coating, but typically is a conventional silicone release coating. The patch may be of any suitable material and need not be opaque or translucent, but desirably is of the same material as a conventional window patch in a mailer or envelope (e.g. glassine).
According to another aspect of the present invention a mailer type business form intermediate is provided. The intermediate comprises the following components: A quadrate paper sheet having top, bottom, and side edges, and first and second faces, the top and bottom edges substantially parallel to each other and the side edges substantially parallel to each other. First and second fold lines substantially parallel to the top and bottom edges and dividing the sheet into first, second and third panels, the first panel between the top edge and the first fold line, and the second panel between the first and second fold lines. The first and second panels each having a first length along the side edges, and the third panel having a second length along the side edges (e.g. which is less than the first length). A cutout in the second panel. A patch having first and second faces, a central area approximately the size of the cutout, and a peripheral area surrounding the central area. A release coating provided on the first face of at least the majority of the central area of the patch. A first pressure sensitive adhesive disposed between the peripheral area of the patch and one of the faces of the second panel and holding the patch to the second panel. A decal having first and second faces. Indicia associated with at least one of the decal faces. And, a second, permanent, pressure sensitive adhesive associated with the decal second face, the second adhesive engaging the release coating on the patch, and removable from the patch with the decal.
Outgoing address indicia may be provided on the third panel first face, and adhesive means (such as a plurality of patterns of pressure activated cohesive such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,918,128 and 5,201,464 (the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein)). The adhesive means hold the intermediate in a mailer configuration when the paper sheet is folded (e.g. Z-folded) about the first and second fold lines to form a mailer having a second panel sandwiched between the first and third panels and the first face of the third panel forming an outside face of the mailer, and the decal and patch covered by the first and third panels. The details of the decal and patch, and where the first adhesive is provided, may be as described above.
According to another aspect of the present invention a mailer type business form is provided. The mailer type business form comprises the following components: A first solid paper panel. A second paper panel having a cutout therein and first and second faces. A third solid paper panel. The second panel sandwiched between the first and second panels so that the cutout is covered by the first and second panels. Adhesive means for holding the panels to each other with the second panel sandwiched between the first and second panels. A patch having first and second faces, a central area approximately the size of the cutout, and a peripheral area surrounding the central area. A release coating provided on the first face of at least the majority of the central area of the patch. A first pressure sensitive adhesive disposed between the peripheral area of the patch and one of the faces of the second panel and holding the patch to the second panel. A decal having first and second faces. Indicia associated with at least one of the decal faces. And, a second, permanent, pressure sensitive adhesive associated with the decal second face, the second adhesive engaging the release coating on the patch, and removal from the patch with the decal. The details of the patch and decal, and positioning of the first adhesive, may be as described above, and other panels may also be provided.
In the use of the mailer type business form as described above, where the decal comprises a license plate decal, or vehicle sticker, the following sequential steps may be employed: (a) Opening the business form to expose the second panel and patch. (b) Transporting the patch to the vicinity of a motor vehicle having a license plate or windshield. (c) Removing the decal from the patch. And, (d) pressing the second pressure sensitive adhesive of the decal to the license plate or windshield so that the decal is adhesively attached to the license plate or windshield with the decal license plate or registration indicia visible from exterior the vehicle. When the decal is a vehicle registration decal, or the like, it is applied to the interior of a window of a motor vehicle, and in that case the indicia is typically on the decal second face underneath the second adhesive.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a simple, effective, and advantageous decal carrier in general, as well as a mailer type business form intermediate and a mailer per se which transport a decal. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention and from the appended claims.